-
Period: Jan 1, 1492 to
1492-1877
A timeline for the VHS US history summer course. This timeline covers US history from 1492-1877. -
Dec 24, 1497
The British Arrive in the New World
Englishman John Cabot arrived in the New World in 1497, but he gained no interest from other Englishmen to join him. However, his coming to the New World opened the door for others to go there later on and, eventually, begin a settlement in Jamestown.
Link text -
Virginia is the First Colony to Establish Slavery
In 1661, Virginia becomes the first of the thirteen colonies to legally establish slavery, having Africans work on plantations and in homes. The other colonies soon follow Virginia by establishing slavery, too.
Link text -
Abolitionism
Abolitionism is the idea that slavery in all forms should be terminated. Slave revolts for freedom started as early as 1663, but the most action was taken in the 1800s. Some famous abolitionists include William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglass, and Harriet Tubman. Papers like "The Liberator" and "The North Star" were published to bring light to the subject.
Link text
Link text -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was drafted on July 4, 1776, which Americans now call "Independence Day" or "The Fourth of July." This document listed the American colonies' grievances against King George III, listed the rights of American citizens, and declared America's independence from Britain.
Link text -
Federalism
Federalism is a system of government with a strong central government. When the Constitution was drafted, the federalists believed that the United States needed a strong national government in order to be successful.
Link text -
American
Being American, or the "American Identity," is an ever-growing and ever-changing idea. There is no one ethnicity or race that is considered "American." When French settler Michel-Guillaume de Crévecoeur settled in the colonies, he realized this and said, "What then is American, this new man?" Crévecoeur saw the growing "Melting Pot" of people and cultures that America was and still is today.
Link text -
The Battle of Saratoga
This battle occurred on October 7, 1777. It was the turning point for America in the American Revolution because this was the American victory that convinced France to back the colonies and help them fight against Britain for independence.
Link text -
Ratifying the Constitution
When the US Constitution was proposed to the states, Deleware, New Jersey, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut ratified it between December of 1787 and January of 1788. Eventually, eleven out of the thirteen states had ratified it. It was approved before New York and Virginia could vote.
Link text -
The Industrial Revolution
The industrial Revolution began between the 1790s and the 1830s. It was when America's economy became less agricultural and more industrial. It mostly impacted the North, but the whole country felt the impacts. The Industrial Revolution gave Americans a better standard of living and many more jobs.
Link text -
The Louisiana Purchase
Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803. At that time, France was being run by Napoleon Bonaparte. The Louisiana Territory stretched from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains, which was two times the size of America at that time.
Link text -
Putting the Declaration of Independence to Use
The Declaration of Independence stated that all men are created equal, but this wasn't always the case. People fought many fights until everyone was included. For example, in 1829, abolitionist David Walker was trying to fight for the freedom of slaves when he asked Americans, "Do you understand your own language?" Even today, Americans are working on making the fact that "all men are created equal" true.
Link text -
The Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was a series of houses and churches that runaway slaves used to get to the north for freedom. It operated during the night and was run by abolitionists. Between the 1830s and the end of the Civil War, there were about 3200 abolitionists working the Railroad.
Link text -
Feminism
Feminism is the idea that women are equal to and deserve the same rights as men. Starting around the 1830s, women began speaking out about their rights and about no longer being seen as just in charge of the household. They wrote many feminist books such as "Women in the Nineteenth Century," "The Dial," and "The Lily." Some famous feminists of that time are Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, and Susan B. Anthony.
Link text -
The Trail of Tears
When president Andrew Jackson tried to force the Cherokees out of their land, many of them resisted. As a result, Jackson had 20,000 Cherokees marked westward at gunpoint. The path that they marched is known as the Trail of Tears.
Link text -
The California Gold Rush
The Gold Rush started when James Marshall saw gold in a stream in California and the word spread quickly. The people who settled there were known as "forty-niners," which included white, free African-American, Mexican, German, and Chinese settlers. Over 450,000 immigrants settled there between 1849 and 1854. They lived in mining towns that had poor conditions and widespread crime.
Link text -
The Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was proposed by Henry Clay. Though this, the north benefited by California being admitted as a free state, slave trade being prohibited in Washington DC, and Texas losing the boundary dispute with New Mexico. The South benefited by having no slave restrictions in Utah or New Mexico, slaveholding being permitted in Washington DC, and having the Fugitive Slave Law, which required northerners to return runaways to their owners.
Link text -
The Civil War
The Civil War began at 4:30 am on April 12, 1861 when General Pierre Gustave T. Beauregard opened fire on Fort Sumter with the Confederate artillerary, causing Major Robert Anderson to surrender. This marked the official beginning of the Civil War.
Link text -
The Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation was announced by president Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863. This made the other countries see the North as having the best moral cause for the war. Eventually, it led to the proposal and ratification of the thirteenth amendment, which abolished slavery throughout America.
Link text -
Reconstruction
The idea and time of Reconstruction emerged around 1867. Reconstruction refers to the new laws and way of thinking that was happening directly after the Civil War. This idea offered hope for the newly emancipated African-Americans, but it brought on hardship for Southern whites. Reconstruction was aided by the 13th and 14th amendments, which freed slaves and made states give men of equal protection.
Link text
Link text -
White Supremacy Groups Emerge
White supremacy groups began during the time of Reconstruction. Some famous groups include the Ku Klux Klan, the Knights of the White Camelia, and the White Brotherhood. These groups believed that blacks were naturally inferior to whites and didn't deserve the same rights as them. Members were often ex-Confederate soldiers, ministers, merchants, and military officers. They would pillage, massacre, rape, lynch, and terrorize African-Americans.
Link text
